Case study: IT key to Harvey Nichols latest retail innovation

Upmarket retailer Harvey Nichols is putting the emphasis on innovative IT as it looks to beat the gloom in the retail market.

With consumers keeping a tight rein on household spending, there are precious few opportunities for retailers such as Harvey Nichols to grow the business, Matthew Suddock, infrastructure manager at the retailer, told Computing.

“But that’s where IT can really add value, by delivering innovation,” he said.

Over the past few years, Harvey Nichols has expanded its reach through the use of seasonal “pop-up shops” – where it takes a short-term lease in a popular shopping centre to capitalise on pre-Christmas trade.

Initially, such outlets were served by bare bones infrastructure, said Suddock, with the emphasis on providing additional retail channels.

However, following the success of the initial trials, Harvey Nichols has increased the IT it puts in the pop-up shops.

Each of the sales points in its main stores are linked to a sophisticated stock-tracking system, its customer relationship management system and VoIP-enabled phones, allowing sales staff to provide enhanced service to its customers, for example by checking on an item's availability.

Those capabilities can now be extended to its pop-up shops, thanks to its MPLS network deal with telecoms firm Claranet, said Suddock.

“The time frames for confirming an option [on a pop-up shop deal] are typically quite short,” said Suddock. So having the flexibility to be able to support them with a full range of systems, wherever they are in the country is a real boon for IT, “because it shows we can help the business innovate,” he added.

Harvey Nichols expects to open a significant number of pop-up shops in the run up to Christmas 2012, Suddock confirmed.